Madrid (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Spain said it would grant political asylum to Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who was running into exile in Spain after a month of concealing in the crisis-hit South American country.
Gonzalez Urrutia — who fought President Nicolas Maduro’s July 28 re-election — left Venezuela after missing three successive summons to appear before prosecutors, claiming that attending the hearing could have cost him his freedom.
How has Spain supported Gonzalez Urrutia’s asylum request?
Madrid’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares stated that Gonzalez Urrutia had requested political asylum in the European country and that Spain would “obviously” give it to him.
He earlier affirmed that the opposition leader had departed on a Spanish military aeroplane, adding that Spain was “committed to the political rights” of all Venezuelans.
Venezuela has been in political trouble since July when authorities declared Maduro the winner of the election. The opposition screamed foul, claiming it had evidence Gonzalez Urrutia had succeeded by a comfortable margin. Numerous nations, including the United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries, have declined to recognise Maduro as the victor without Caracas releasing detailed voting data.
What were the charges against Gonzalez Urrutia in Venezuela?
After the election, Venezuelan prosecutors allocated an arrest warrant for Gonzalez Urrutia over his claim that he was the rightful winner of the election. Venezuela’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez stated that Caracas had arranged to the safe passage of Gonzalez Urrutia, who had taken “refuge voluntarily at the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago”.
Speaking at a socialist party conference, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez clarified Gonzalez Urrutia as “a hero who Spain will not abandon”. Lawyer Joel Garcia, who has supported opposition figures in Venezuela, stated that if Gonzalez Urrutia was charged with everything the government has charged him of, he could face a jail sentence of 30 years.
Authorities expressed Maduro had won re-election to a third, six-year term with 52 per cent of the vote. The opposition issued its voting records, which it expressed showed Gonzalez Urrutia winning 67 per cent of the vote. Venezuela’s electoral authority has stated it cannot provide a full breakdown of the election results, accusing a cyber attack on its systems.
His tenure — which has suffered from domestic economic mismanagement as well as international sanctions — has seen GDP drop 80 per cent and more than seven million of the country’s 30 million citizens emigrate.
